War and Peace, Volume 1

War and Peace is one of the greatest monuments in world literature. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, it examines the relationship between the individual and the relentless march of history. Here are the universal themes of love and hate, ambition and despair, youth and age, expressed with a swirling vitality which makes the book as accessible today as it was when it was first published in 1869.

It took me a few months to get through this but it was well worth it. I think even better than the story is the superb reading by the narrator. I will go in search of other audiobooks by this narrator because he was so good. In a book that has so many characters he was able to give each person their own unique personality. Being a history grad I really enjoyed this book, but I understand that it may be a bit daunting for most casual readers. Yet it entwines love stories with Russian history beautifully and if someone has the time they would enjoy it. And talk about value, 60 hours for 2 credits...wow!

The Wal-Mart Effect

Drawing on unprecedented interviews with former Wal-Mart executives and a wealth of staggering data�including facts such as this: Americans spend $36 million an hour at Wal-Mart stores, this text is an intimate look at a business that is dramatically reshaping the American economy.

Unlike most books and documentaries on WalMart I found this one very balanced. I especially liked hearing how some items. Most interesting was how much influence Wal Mart has on the production of salmon and other seafood. There was a lot of information that I had never though of before, like the fact that airlines before the 80's would not allow any fish on the planes (due to the worry of melting sea water corroding the equipment).

The narrator was very good and did an excellent job of capturing the mood and theme of each chapter. The only complaint was the afterward tacked on to the epilogue, read horribly by the writer of the book. This second narrator missed the mark with his part. The editing is sketchy which many sentences obviously chopped with awkward pauses and repeating sentences. Even with this flaw it doesnt take away from the book, which I found to be not too long and not too short. It was a pleasant surprise for me.

The Handmaid's Tale

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, serving in the household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife. She may go out once a day to markets whose signs are now pictures because women are not allowed to read. She must pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, for in a time of declining birthrates her value lies in her fertility, and failure means exile to the dangerously polluted Colonies. Offred can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost even her own name....

Many of my female friends sighed when I said I was listening to the handmaid's tale. Apparently it was required reading in high school which doesn't do much for enthusiastic reading.

Im glad I didn't have that bias implanted in me. I was hooked from the beginning. The pace of the book moved quickly, and I felt Margaret Atwood is excellent at helping the reader truly feel the main character.

Claire Danes was amazing. Even though I have an image of Claire Danes from all her tv shows and movies, she made this character truly unique and I was able to paint a picture of the main character on to a blank canvas. The parts where she gets truly emotional are amazing, she gets right in to character and builds upon it as she goes. She does a better job than most professional narrators.

Ready Player One

At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, Ready Player One is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.

I really wanted to like this book. Its from my generation, has references to all the things I liked growing up, it has a wonderful storyline. Too bad he spends way too much time emersed in this game and not enough time using his excellent story telling to talk about the world outside of the game. I mean I was utterly enthralled in the first chapter, and I kept hanging on hoping the story would get better, but alas I think Ernest Cline has played one too many games of World of Warcraft which is what this book ended up feeling like. Watching some 16 year old kid play a video game.

....I will give other books he writes a chance however, there is some talent here...

At Home: A Short History of Private Life

Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has happened since the Romans decamped. Yet one day, he began to consider how very little he knew about the ordinary things of life as he found it in that comfortable home. To remedy this, he formed the idea of journeying about his house from room to room to “write a history of the world without leaving home.”

First off the content of the book was very engaging. It started really well, became a little convoluted for a brief period then the story became more and more engaging. If you liked a short history of nearly everything (which I think was also Bryson?) you will probably like this. I liked the parts of the story more when we was explaining things that had little to do with the old rectory and more to do with the history of stuff.

Now the narration was another matter. It took me a long time to be able to deal with Bryson as a narrator. I suspect that he did not enjoy reading the book. He seemed as though he was trying to rush through the book as fast as possible (maybe to get started on his next book). There are also some chapters where he sounds mildly intoxicated. Many of the consonants become jumbled as he rambles through. It wasnt an awful reading, I have heard worse, and the material was engaging, its just as though he was in a hurry to get it over with.

For anybody interested in the history of the things (that you didnt know there was a history for) this book is great. If you are picky about narration you may want to get the hard copy.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Paul Bäumer is just 19 years old when he and his classmates enlist. They are Germany’s Iron Youth who enter the war with high ideals and leave it disillusioned or dead. As Paul struggles with the realities of the man he has become, and the world to which he must return, he is led like a ghost of his former self into the war’s final hours. All Quiet is one of the greatest war novels of all time, an eloquent expression of the futility, hopelessness and irreparable losses of war.

Was really looking forward to reading this but found the audio quality was very poor...actually I think it was the narrator too, emphasizing some parts in a clear voice then switching to a whisper and the variance was just too much. I had to quickly turn up or down the sound to account for this difference.

Top Cases of The FBI (American Criminal History)

One of the most fascinating law enforcement agencies in the world is the FBI. From the J. Edgar Hoover days to present, the Bureau has investigated the most famous cases, including, mobsters, gangs, bank robbers, and terrorism. They have also received a few black eyes including, Waco Siege, and Ruby Ridge. In Top Cases of The FBI, RJ Parker captured 12 of those cases and prepared case files on these criminals up to and including their sentencing or demise.

What a bore. As someone else mentioned there is no new information here. And the stories are way to fast to get any meaningful information. Its the equivelent of reading a short blurb in a newspaper column to get you back up to date by highlighting all of the essential information but leaves out the parts that would give more depth to the stories.

Raising Your Spirited Child

The spirited child, often called "difficult", can easily overwhelm parents, leaving them feeling frustrated and inadequate. Spirited kids are, in fact, simply more intense, sensitive, perceptive, persistent, and uncomfortable with change than the average child. Through vivid examples and a refreshingly positive viewpoint, Mary Sheedy Kurcinka offers parents emotional support and proven strategies for handling their spirited child.

Yes - Anyone who has a kid that is labelled as troublesome, or too high energy.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

No, because it's to help me raise my kids, if I was going to change the story I wouldn't be looking for help would I?

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator is the author reading her own work and does an ok job, considering that many authors who read their own books butcher it.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Um I'm not going to answer that... There should be two types of review profiles, one for novels and another for self help.

Any additional comments?

WHERE IS THE UNABRIDGED. This book is outstanding, the whole book (which I have skimmed through and found very helpful. However this abridged version skips over many of the key points that need further emphasis. In fact I think onnly about 20% of the original is retained. I would return this and pay more for the unabridged if it ever comes out.

The Modern Scholar: World of George Orwell

Big Brother Is Watching You: The words are inextricably associated with the classic dystopian novel 1984 and with its revered author, George Orwell. The Modern Scholar series continues its exploration of great authors with this course from esteemed professor Michael Shelden. In these lectures, Orwell, who also penned the epitome of the political satire, Animal Farm, is discussed in full, from his childhood in Henley-on-Thames to his final days.

I found these lectures among the best of the six modern scholar lectures I have listened to. I find Orwells writing outstanding and captivating. I found myself downloading all of Orwell's books and essay's on audible because of these lectures. The lecturer has a genuine deep interest in the subject matter which makes the lectures all the more engaging.

My only small complaint, although I eventually got used to it, was Michael Scehldon's delivery. At times I thought. I was. Listening. To. William Shatner. Delivering his lines. In Star Trek.

Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford, and Marianne Williamson - New York Times best-selling authors and internationally acclaimed teachers - have joined together to share their knowledge on one of the most crucial obstacles to happiness we face: the shadow. These three luminaries, each with a signature approach, bring to light the parts of ourselves we deny but that still direct our life.

I first read this book a few months back and was blown away. I got the most out of Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson. I purchased the book so I could re-read it while driving. Once again I found those two authors to be amazing. Just one of these authors is worth the price of the book. Debbie Ford not so much but has some great ideas. I find myself in the audiobook version skipping over Mr Chopra. The only voice I find more bothersome is Eckhart Tolle. I know that if I could quiet my mind to hear the message instead of the voice all would be well, but thats exactly why I picked up the audiobook in the first place, to hear a message, not trying to strain to hear the message.

A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Hope, Deception, and Survival at Jonestown

In A Thousand Lives, the New York Times best-selling memoirist Julia Scheeres traces the fates of five individuals who followed Jim Jones to South America as they struggled to first build their paradise, and then survive it. Each went for different reasons - some were drawn to Jones for his progressive attitudes towards racial equality, others were dazzled by his claims to be a faith healer. But once in Guyana, Jones' drug addiction, mental decay, and sexual depredations quickly eroded the idealistic community.

I would not listen to it again, but not because it was bad, simply because it was very difficult to listen to the stories, such a brutal end to so many lives. I am glad that I listened to it, it gave me a greater understanding in to an organization that I had dismissed as a bunch of crazed cult members, to actually having understanding and empathy for those involved

What did you like best about this story?

How the church was formed in the beginning on what seemed to be true equality for all races, something unheard of in the late 60's and early 70's in secular culture. The idea sounded exciting and enticing during that time. Unfortunately things turned out to be far from equal.

Which character ??? as performed by Robin Miles ??? was your favorite?

I had a lot of empathy for the young children and elderly as their plight and hopelessness was described, especially as they tried their best to find happiness in the mundane activities and under the oppression of Jim Jones.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The final murders

Any additional comments?

This audiobook seriously impacted me. The story stayed with me very strongly for over a week after I read it in a mere two days. Could not put it down after I started.

Your report has been received. It will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.

Can't wait to hear more from this listener?

You can now follow your favorite reviewers on Audible.

When you follow another listener, we'll highlight the books they review, and even email* you a copy of any new reviews they write. You can un-follow a listener at any time to stop receiving their updates.

* If you already opted out of emails from Audible you will still get review emails by the listeners you follow.